The result, American and Afghan officials said, is that the agency has greased the wheels of the same patronage networks that American diplomats and law enforcement agents have struggled unsuccessfully to dismantle, leaving the government in the grips of what are basically organized crime syndicates.

The 19-year-old full back, whose switch to the Dragons until the end of the present campaign, greased the wheels of Obeng's pounds 200,000 move to the Liberty Stadium, has yet to make a first outing for Andy Morrell's promotion-chasing side and is eager to impress.

Kevin Book, an analyst at ClearView Energy Partners, told Reuters that "the Gulf of Mexico spill has turned offshore drilling andndash; an issue that once greased the wheels of the grand bargain andndash; into a political toxin".

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